Dec 212010
 

As you may have heard, Kanye West has a new album. As you may also have heard, it has been well-received (to put it mildly). The album that’s topped more best-of lists than any other, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy boasts such oddities as Bon Iver singing backing vocals, a Chris Rock interlude, and a 35-minute promotional video. Said video soundtracks his song “Runaway,” the album’s second single. Into the convoluted narrative West crams twisty ballet, a naked phoenix, and a Michael Jackson parade float. This high-concept oddity helped remind folks that, despite all his boorish drama, West possesses ambition few can rival.

Perhaps as a result of the video, “Runaway” has become the most-covered song off the album. It’s Kanye’s “We Used to Wait,” if you will. Though no big-name covers have cropped up (yet), the under-the-radar renditions have been coming fast. Below, we give you the five best in no particular order. Click the titles to grab the MP3s.

1. Page Three Girls – Runaway (Kanye West cover)
Layered harmonies and the whistle intro make this one a lullaby for the baby.

2. Sam Brown – Runaway (Kanye West cover)

Turning this into a duet brings out the dark, twisted romance buried deep within this one. Really, this song is just Kanye’s incredibly roundabout way of saying, “I’m sorry.”

3. Wonder Bear – Runaway (Kanye West cover)

Against all odds, this disco thumper incorporates the immortal “Imma let you finish” speech without inducing eye rolls.

4. Vanaprasta – Runaway (Kanye West cover)

Taken from a live video, the sound quality on this isn’t ideal, but the performance represents the hardest rocking version yet.

5. Mikey Chuck Rivers – Runaway (Kanye West cover)

This comes off Rivers’ free EP I’m Always Drunk. The title goes a long way towards explaining this high-speed country hoedown.

Know any other good “Runaway” covers? Post ‘em in the comments!

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  8 Responses to “Presenting: The Five Best Covers of Kanye West’s “Runaway” (So Far)”

Comments (4) Pingbacks (4)
  1. […] has been covered more times than we can count. In fact, we did a whole post on our picks of the songs’ five best covers a while back. It’s been redone yet again by Brooklyn’s Oberhofer, the self-proclaimed […]

  2. […] masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Within a few months of its release, we were already ranking the best covers of “Runaway.” Things have died down since, of course, but that doesn’t make the songs any less cover-able. […]

  3. […] tune originally appeared on West’s 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Cover Me also wrote a feature about five different covers of the song). For her take, Gainsbourg shortens the track […]

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